Cardinal Fernandez: weigh ‘exceptional circumstances’ for sex-change treatment
March 06, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), has said that although the Church condemns gender-altering surgery, “exceptional circumstances must be evaluated with great care.”
“We don’t want to be cruel,” the cardinal said, in an address to a theological conference in Cologne. His speech was delivered in February, with the text posted this week on the DDF web site. Cardinal Fernandez said that the “exceptional circumstances” would involve “strong dysphorias that can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide.”
The cardinal’s address in Cologne contrasts with the declaration Dignitas Infinita, issued last April by the DDF and signed by Cardinal Fernandez himself. That document—issued with the approval of Pope Francis—condemned “any sex-change operation” as a violation of innate human dignity.
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Posted by: grateful1 -
Mar. 09, 2025 7:30 PM ET USA
I second Randal Mandock's comment, and would add that Fernandez is a theological and moral menace.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Mar. 06, 2025 10:42 PM ET USA
Another case of compassion lacking reason and masquerading as mercy. Psychological and pastoral therapy are what is needed, not mutilation and denial of reality.
